驀然回首

01

近年來，我生活中的一大樂趣，就是帶老外們參觀我的祖國。樂趣不僅僅來自老外的反應(yīng)——首次赴華，訝異或驚喜乃情理中事，樂趣也發(fā)自我的內(nèi)心——去國三十載，故鄉(xiāng)的一草一木，都會(huì)在我心中掀起無邊的漣漪。

一般人到了京城，總愛把頤和園的亭臺(tái)樓閣、雕梁畫棟呈現(xiàn)給客人，在一片贊嘆聲中得到滿足。我卻偏愛把隊(duì)伍拉到圓明園，在無言的驚怵中，觸摸人類心靈共通時(shí)的振顫。我至今忘不了十幾年前的一天，我領(lǐng)著一群年輕的大學(xué)生走進(jìn)圓明園，當(dāng)面前突然出現(xiàn)那一片斷壁殘?jiān)珪r(shí)，他們的笑聲戛然而止，眼中涌出了淚水。

去年開春，鶯飛草長，我?guī)ьI(lǐng)加拿大教育者訪華團(tuán)，再次來到廢墟上。校長們經(jīng)多見廣，心中駭然，卻不動(dòng)聲色，默默掏出小本子，記下了鐫刻在石碑上的雨果名言：“兩個(gè)強(qiáng)盜走進(jìn)了圓明園，一個(gè)搶掠，一個(gè)放火……”看到旁邊圍起來的施工現(xiàn)場(chǎng)內(nèi)一摞摞似乎是新造的磚石，他們掩飾不住心頭的擔(dān)憂，匆匆打探是否要重建被毀壞的圓明園。“千萬不能啊！一定要保留目前的樣子才好！彥，你能不能轉(zhuǎn)告他們？”關(guān)切的目光，令我溫暖。 逗留京城的數(shù)日，馬不停蹄。大家皆為首次來華，紛紛感嘆：“真沒想到，中國竟然和腦子里的印象截然不同！原以為滿大街站著的都是頭戴鋼盔、手握沖鋒槍的軍人呢！…“見到的人都那么友好和善。真喜歡中國人啊！”

黃浦江畔停留數(shù)日，其繁華迷人，自不待言。在酒吧區(qū)“新天地”游覽時(shí)，眾人都被爵士樂咖啡座吸引住了，唯有一教育局長自告奮勇，隨我去了中共一大會(huì)址。本不期望老外能理解什么，沒想到吃驚的卻是我。“想當(dāng)年，古巴共產(chǎn)黨成立之初，也是中途轉(zhuǎn)移到船上完成的，和中共的經(jīng)歷巧合呢！那時(shí)的毛澤東才僅僅28歲啊！這十幾個(gè)年輕人，都是有志于改造社會(huì)的理想主義者。”他輕聲慨嘆。我回過頭來，認(rèn)真地打量著這位金發(fā)碧眼的老外。他在我眼里已變了模樣。

今年我再次帶隊(duì)回國時(shí)，便特意安排了參觀一大會(huì)址的行程。這次來的都是學(xué)校里的同事。大家興致勃勃地站成一排，與壁上的浮雕合影時(shí)，恰逢一隊(duì)中國人在旁，齊齊舉手，高聲宣誓。同事們不解，探問他們?cè)谧鍪裁础Ｎ医忉屨f是在宣誓入黨，大家露出恍然大悟的神色。也許，直到那一刻，他們才開始理解腳下這片土地，以及這片土地上生活的人民吧。

教學(xué)相長，給我啟發(fā)最多的，應(yīng)該是勃蘭特教授。幾年前我曾陪這位同事來華，拍攝一部介紹中國宗教歷史的教學(xué)片。抵達(dá)京城當(dāng)晚，他就按捺不住，掏出電腦，在酒店大堂里給妻子發(fā)郵件：“我終于來到中國了。一切都出乎意料！”

我明白，他心中的震撼源自何方。勃蘭特研究了一輩子宗教，著作等身，是《不列顛百科全書》世界宗教條目的編審。平日閑談，論及儒釋道各個(gè)流派，他如數(shù)家珍，常令聽者生出高山仰止之感。但他不過是紙上談兵罷了。老教授曾多次赴印度、日本、泰國等亞洲國家考察，卻從未踏足華夏大地。

此次來華，他像一個(gè)好奇的小孩，扛著攝像機(jī)，興致勃勃地捕捉著他眼中的珍寶。在西安古城，步入“碑林”，在一尊石龜馱負(fù)的高大古碑前，他顫抖著雙手舉起了攝像機(jī)。一不留神，老人后退時(shí)踩了空，從一米多高的臺(tái)子上仰天朝后跌倒下來。圍觀者一片驚呼，卻見勃蘭特一個(gè)后滾翻，懷中緊抱著攝像機(jī)，端端地立起身來，全然不像七十歲的老人。面對(duì)詫異，他整整衣襟微笑道，我每周要打兩次籃球呢。

雨過天晴，我倆在著名作家葉廣芩女士的陪同下，結(jié)伴出城，去探訪終南山下的“樓觀臺(tái)”，據(jù)說那里保留著兩千多年前老子講經(jīng)傳道的遺址。阡陌田野，桃紅柳綠。一山一水都在娓娓述說著古老的傳說。那一刻，心頭涌起了無限的眷戀，追問當(dāng)初離鄉(xiāng)背井，價(jià)值究竟幾何？

02

時(shí)間回溯到1987年，我從中國社會(huì)科學(xué)院研究生院新聞系畢業(yè)后，來到加拿大繼續(xù)深造。當(dāng)時(shí)，班里的同學(xué)有一半去了美國，只有我一人選擇來加拿大。原因很簡(jiǎn)單。二十歲那年，一個(gè)春風(fēng)和煦的夜晚，我站在露天廣場(chǎng)上，看了一場(chǎng)中加合拍的電影《白求恩》。從那個(gè)夜晚之后，我曾無數(shù)次地夢(mèng)魂?duì)坷@，無數(shù)次地定睛尋找“一個(gè)純粹的人，一個(gè)高尚的人，一個(gè)有道德的人……”。加拿大是白求恩的故鄉(xiāng)，我從小就對(duì)加拿大有一種神圣的向往。這位國際主義戰(zhàn)士，在我之后的寫作道路上，多次成為支撐著我心魂的主角。

離開家鄉(xiāng)，一切都是新的開始。讀書、工作把我的時(shí)間擠得滿滿當(dāng)當(dāng)。寫作成為我繁忙之余安放夢(mèng)想和鄉(xiāng)愁的故園，跟隨著心靈的呼喚，在筆端留下我對(duì)人生的思索和對(duì)家國的眷戀。上個(gè)世紀(jì)80年代早期出國的留學(xué)生，最熟悉而難以忘卻的，是記憶猶新的故國情懷，我的第一本書，英文小說《紅浮萍》，便是在那種心態(tài)下完成的。十多年后，越來越多的中國人走出國門，移民海外，周圍的祖國同胞多了起來，我的關(guān)注點(diǎn)轉(zhuǎn)向了移民生活。回望自己走過的路，我創(chuàng)作了英文小說《雪百合》，對(duì)新的生活進(jìn)行了批判性反思，也表達(dá)了在理想信念的支撐下，人無論到了何種環(huán)境，最終還是可以走出困惑和迷惘的主旨。如今，由于工作的原因，我不可避免地會(huì)與不同文化背景的人頻繁接觸，跨文化的故事越來越多，中國越來越受到關(guān)注。

剛到加拿大那年，在一次晚宴上，我的鄰座是一位白人老者。他用一口地道的河南方言震住了我。原來，他曾擔(dān)任過加拿大駐華大使，并有個(gè)頗為響亮的中文名字：明明德。誰能想到，僅僅兩個(gè)星期之后，我就讀到了《人民日?qǐng)?bào)（海外版）》上的文章，提及加拿大人明義士在河南安陽研究甲骨文、自學(xué)成才的往事。當(dāng)我好奇地寫信給明明德大使，確認(rèn)了他就是明義士的獨(dú)子之后，我多次去他位于渥太華的家中采訪，日夜傾談，記錄下口述資料，并與他頻繁書信來往。但世事荏苒，接下來的歲月中，我陷入了年復(fù)一年的忙碌。直到二十多年以后，我才終于提筆，寫下了非虛構(gòu)中篇《小紅魚兒你在哪兒住——甲骨文與明義士家族》，介紹了這個(gè)在中加關(guān)系史上留下了濃墨重彩，卻低調(diào)得令人驚訝的家庭。

一百多年前，明義士以傳教士身份來華，卻對(duì)中國的古文字陷入了癡迷，并成為發(fā)現(xiàn)殷墟甲骨文出土之地的第一人。后來，他大概徹底忘卻了自己當(dāng)初來華的職責(zé)，華麗轉(zhuǎn)身，成為齊魯大學(xué)的考古學(xué)教授，為中國培養(yǎng)了第一批研究甲骨文的學(xué)生。他花費(fèi)畢生心血收藏了數(shù)萬片甲骨。面臨日本侵華的危機(jī)時(shí)刻，他將甲骨分別保存在中國的不同城市，使這批寶貴的文物躲過了劫難。

在河南安陽出生成長的明明德，在離開中國幾十年后，于上世紀(jì)70年代中期以加拿大駐中國大使的身份重返故地。當(dāng)他對(duì)我回憶往事，描述起共產(chǎn)黨領(lǐng)導(dǎo)下的新中國展現(xiàn)出的巨大變遷時(shí)，老人的聲音充滿了感情。與他同樣在中國出生的兩個(gè)姐姐，也曾在40年代幫助中國做戰(zhàn)后重建工作。今天，明家與中國的交往已經(jīng)傳承到了第三、第四代。

2010年，已經(jīng)93歲高齡的明明德大使，在時(shí)隔多年之后第一次接到我的長途電話時(shí)，竟然立刻聽出了我的聲音，并說出了我的名字，令我驚喜，也十分感動(dòng)。然而，萬分遺憾的是，幾天之后，他在讀到我的英文原稿后，便溘然長逝了。他的兒子肯尼教授寫信安慰我說：“彥，請(qǐng)你相信，我父親一定是帶著欣慰和滿足的心情告別人世的。”

命運(yùn)仿佛會(huì)悄悄安排一些巧合，不僅讓我與明明德大使相遇，也讓我實(shí)現(xiàn)了出國追尋白求恩足跡的夢(mèng)想。

不少中國人都知道，1939年初冬，白求恩臨終前，躺在太行山的土炕上，留下了一份長長的遺囑，把身邊的東西一一分給了他在中國和加拿大的戰(zhàn)友。遺囑中有一句話，“那面日軍大旗留給莉蓮。”但是，中國人都不知道這個(gè)女人是誰。七十五年過去了，我在偶然中尋找到線索，解開了這個(gè)謎底。就在距離我住處一百多公里的地方，我采訪到了一位老人比爾.史密斯，發(fā)現(xiàn)莉蓮就是他的母親。老人的手中，不僅收藏著白求恩寫給莉蓮的最后一封信，邀約她前往太行山，與他并肩奮斗，還保存著全世界獨(dú)一無二的毛澤東與白求恩的珍貴合影照片。這實(shí)在是太神奇了！我懷著激動(dòng)的心情，一氣呵成，寫就《尺素天涯——白求恩最后的情書》。

寫作的過程，也是一次對(duì)生命的感悟過程。從白求恩身上，我看到的，是一個(gè)直面真實(shí)的勇者。那種果敢與坦誠、光明與磊落，恰是人性本真的珍貴品質(zhì)。他的理想主義、他的獻(xiàn)身精神代表著人類一種高尚的情操，永遠(yuǎn)像黑暗中的一盞燈，讓我不管遇到什么樣的逆境，都有勇氣走向光明。

2015年的秋天，在中國人民紀(jì)念抗日戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)勝利70周年之際，我?guī)ьI(lǐng)著來自加拿大各界的代表們，再次奔赴華夏大地，沿著白求恩的足跡，考察英雄奮斗過的晉察冀邊區(qū)。一個(gè)開放而便捷的環(huán)境，讓我有機(jī)會(huì)將祖國的這些英雄歷史分享給更多的人，將友誼的種子播撒在中加兩國人民心中。

在北京飯店的金色大廳里，加拿大老人比爾.史密斯捐贈(zèng)了中國革命歷史的珍貴文物：毛澤東與白求恩的合影照片。“如果有機(jī)會(huì)，我將十分愿意為中加友誼貢獻(xiàn)自己的綿薄之力。雖然目前身體狀況不佳，但我有一個(gè)想法——未來如果有中國友人到加拿大白求恩故鄉(xiāng)追溯白求恩成長和工作歷史，我將樂意做向?qū)А！北葼?史密斯接受媒體采訪時(shí)說。

03

2007年，滑鐵盧大學(xué)成立了孔子學(xué)院，上級(jí)問我是否愿意出任孔子學(xué)院院長，我欣然應(yīng)允。滑鐵盧大學(xué)孔子學(xué)院成立十多年了。十年來，我曾自問：在海外傳播中華文化，目的何在？我深深懂得，人類精神文明各有千秋，并不存在某一種文化比其他文化更優(yōu)秀。我們的目的不是要取代他人的信仰。讓世界了解中國，了解中國人，消除誤解、求同存異，才能贏得長久的友誼與和平，孔子學(xué)院才不辱使命。 為了這個(gè)目標(biāo)，十年來我們致力于高端學(xué)術(shù)研究與文學(xué)交流，組織召開過十次國際研討會(huì)。“故土歷史呈現(xiàn)”“文學(xué)中的歷史歷史中的文學(xué)”“文學(xué)百衲被”“文學(xué)與我們的環(huán)境”“文化間性與人類命運(yùn)共同體”等等，一個(gè)個(gè)主題，無不凝聚著我和同事們的殷切期盼。

在孔子學(xué)院這個(gè)平臺(tái)上，我們編輯出版了雙語讀物及中華文化研究專著，為海外大學(xué)生提供了簡(jiǎn)明易懂的教材，啟發(fā)培養(yǎng)他們對(duì)中華文化的興趣。我們邀請(qǐng)中外專家學(xué)者互訪，舉辦交流講座，針對(duì)人類共同面對(duì)的問題集思廣益，出謀劃策。同時(shí)，我們還在不同城市建立了多個(gè)“孔子學(xué)院中文資料室”，每年舉辦中文朗誦比賽、作文競(jìng)賽等，鼓勵(lì)促進(jìn)華裔青少年用中文寫作，促進(jìn)中華文化的薪火傳承。在公共建設(shè)方面，我們持續(xù)與周邊三座城市的公共圖書館合作，舉辦漢語培訓(xùn)班、中華文化興趣班，組織傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日慶典活動(dòng)等，在多元文化公平競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的環(huán)境中，為漢語在海外的運(yùn)用與發(fā)展尋求和創(chuàng)造機(jī)會(huì)。

在搭建祖國與世界文化交流橋梁、為世界人民之間增進(jìn)友誼的過程中，我的工作充滿了快樂。驀然回首，我似乎悟到了幾十年前奔赴異國他鄉(xiāng)時(shí)，冥冥中那個(gè)神圣的使命。

Part 1

In recent years， a great pleasurein my life comes from showingforeign friends around China. Itis natural for them to be surprisedand amazed for the first time in thecountry， but for me， living overseasfor three decades gives me a rippleof excitement when I see anythingin homeland.

Normally， people would make aroutine trip to the Summer Palace，presenting pavilions， pagodas andother fine buildings to get satisfac-tion from the wows of their guests.However， I prefer to take visitors tothe Old Summer Palace where wewould be all shocked into silence.Never could I forget the day whenI led a group of young college stu-dents into the Old Summer Palacemore than a decade ago. A sceneof wreckages and ruins halted theirlaughter and brought tears to theireyes.

In the beginning of last springwhen birds were singing and grasssprouting， I led a delegate of Cana-dian educators to visit China androok them to the Old Summer Pal-ace. Though aghast but remainedsilent， the knowledgeable headmas-ters fished out their tiny notebooksand wrote down Hugo's famoussaying on a stone tablet-\"Tworobbers breaking into a museum.One has looted and the other hasburnt....\" Next to the stone tabletwas piles of seemingly newly-erectedbricks. Seeing this， they asked me inworries that whether the devastatedPalace was under a plan for recon-struction. \"It cannot be changed！You must keep this！ Yan， could youplease tell them？\" The care comingfrom them warms me.

During our short and hurriedjourney in Beijing， everyone ex-claimed for their first time here，\"China is totally different fromwhat I once envisaged in my mind.I thought that the streets and roadswould be flanked by soldiers inhelmets and holding sub-machineguns！\" \"Chinese people we met areso friendly and kind. I am reallyfond of them！\"

When we stayed in Shanghai（along the Huangpu River）， every-one was impressed by its bustle andcharm. When visiting \"Xintiandi\"，a bar area， everyone was deeply attractedby a jazz cafe except a director of an edu-cation bureau， who volunteered to visitthe conference site of the First NationalCongress of the Communist Party ofChina （CPC） with me. I did not expectmy foreign friend would know anythingabout the site， but he did surprise me.\"When the Communist Parry of Cubawas founded， the meeting was also trans-ferred to a ship. What a coincidence.At that time， Mao Zedong was only 28years old. Other his young fellows wereall aspirants committed to reforming theChinese society back then.\" He sighed.I turned around and stared at him， whobecame total different in my eyes.

When I returned to China this year，I specially arranged a trip to the confer-ence site. This time， I came with mycolleagues in the college. When everyonecheerfully stood in a row and posed forphotos with reliefs on the wall， a groupof Chinese people beside us raised theirhands and took an oath. My colleagueswere really puzzled and asked me whatthey were doing. After then， they saw itwhen I explained that these people weretaking CPC admission oath. Perhaps， itwas until that moment that they began toundersrand the land under their feet andthe people living on this land.

As the saying goes， teaching benefitsboth teachers and students. The one thatinspired me the most is Professor Brandt.A few years ago， I accompanied this col-league to China to film a documentaryintroducing Chinese religious historyOn the night of his arrival in Beijing， hecouldn't help but pull out his computerto email his wife in the hotel lobby. Hewrote， \"I finally come to China. Every-thing here surprises me！ \"

I clearly know where his surprisescame from. Brandt is a prolific researcherof religion， and also editor of WorldReligions in Encyclopedia Britannica.He could reel off schools of Confuciamsm，Buddhism and Taoism， holding his listenersin respect and awe. However， what he saidwas purely intellectual concept for he hadnever set foot on China though he alreadyvisited India， Japan， Thailand and otherAsian countries for many times.

Brandt was as curious as a child duringhis first trip to China. Holding his camera，he was eager to capture every scene he saw.In the Stele Forest （Beilin Museum） ofXi'an， he raised his camera with his trem-bling hands in front of a tall monumentstanding on a stone turtle. Accidentally hemissed his step and fell down from a one-meter-high platform. Amid the cry of alarmfrom crowds， Brandt rolled backwards withthe camera in his arms and stood up at theend. That is not what a 70-year-old mancan do. Seeing us astonished， he tidied hisclothes with a smile on his face， saying \"Istill play basketball twice a week.\"

After this little episode， we took to theroad to Louguantai Temple at the foot ofZhongnan Mountain accompanied by Ms.Ye Guangqin， a famous writer. The tem-ple still reserves the site where Lao Tzu， aTaosim philosopher， preached more than2，000 years ago. On the way， we saw thecrisscrossed field dotted with peach blos-som and willow trees. Mountains and riverswe passed were all narrating ancient legendsto us. At that moment， grasping by wavesof nostalgia， I kept asking myself that wasit worth leaving my country back then.

Part Ⅱ

Back in 1987， I came to Canada tofurther my studies after graduating fromthe Department of Journalism of the Chi-nese Academy of Social Sciences. At thattime， half of my classmates went to theUnited States， but only I chose Canada.The reason was quite simple： at the age oftwenty， I watched a film called Betbune.Confucius Institute VOLUME 62 I N0.3 MAY. 2019co-produced by China and Canada， at apiazza on a pleasantly warm spring night.After that very night， I have been dreaminglooking for \"a pure person， a noble person，a moral person...\" Ever since I was a child，I have longed for Canada， the hometown toBethune. It was Bethune， an international-ism fighter， from which I drew great spiritstrength during my writing journey

Everything started new after my de-parture from home. Srudy and work oc-cupied most of my time while writinghad become a sanctuary for my dreamsand homesickness. Since then， I began towrite my thoughts on life and love for mycountry. My first book， the English novelRed Duckweed， was completed when I wasbesieged by nostalgia， the most familiar andunforgettable memories for students whostudied overseas in the early 1980s. Morethan a decade later， more and more Chi-nese people had gone abroad or even immi-grated overseas. As I found more Chinesepeople around me in the overseas， I shiftedto writing immigrant life. Looking back onthe path I have taken， I wrote the Englishnovel Lily in the Snow. Though puttingsome critical thinking on the new life， Istill conveyed in my book that no matterwhat life circumstances are， we could walkour of puzzle and confusion under the sup-port of our ideal and belief. My currenr jobhas offered frequent contacts with peopleof different cultural backgrounds duringwhich I found more cultural exchangeshave brought the world's increasing atten-tion to China.

I went to a dinner party in my first yearin Canada. A senior sitting next to meamazed me with his authentic tongue ofcentral China's Henan province. It turnedout that he once served as the Canadianambassador to China and had a very well-reputed Chinese name-Ming Mingde（Arthur Menzies）. In just two weeks later，I came to read an article on Peoples DailyOverseas Edition， telling a story of CanadianMing Yishi （James Mellon Menzies） studyingthe oracle bone inscriptions in Anyang， Henanprovince. Out of curiosity， I wrote to AmbassadorArthur Menzies， finding that he was the only sonofjames Mellon Menzies. I visited his home inOttawa several times. During my visits there， wetalked day and night and I recorded some oralinformation. After then， we have kept in contactin letters. But in the following years， I was caughtby my busy schedule. It was not until more thantwenty years later that I finally began to write anon-fictional novella， Where Does the Little RedFisb Live-Oracle Bone Inscriptions and the Men-zies， which introduced this surprisingly low-keyfamily who has left a colorful stroke and taken animportant part in the history of China-Canadarelations.

Over a hundred years ago， James Mellon Men-zies came to China as a missionary Yet he was ob-sessed with Chinese ancient characters， and laterbecame the first person to discover the unearthedland of the Oracle bone inscriptions in ruins ofYin Xu， the capital city of the late Shang Dynasty（1300-1046 BC）. James Mellon Menzies， prob-ably forgetting his original mission， made himselfa professor of archaeology at Cheeloo Universitywhere he trained the first batch of students study-ing Oracle bone inscriptions for China. Dedicatedto collecting tens of thousands of oracle bones， hepreserved them in different cities in China whenJapan invaded， saving these precious cultural relicsfrom destruction.

Born and raised in Anyang， Arthur Menziesreturned to China in the mid-1970s as the Cana-dian ambassador to China. Recalling the past， hetold me the great changes in the People's Republicof China under CPC's leadership with his voicequivering with emotions. His two sisters whowere also born in China helped the country dopost-war reconstruction in the 1940s. To date，exchanges between Arthur Menzies' family andChina have been passed down to the third andfourth generations.

In 2010， I made a long-distance call to ArthurMenzies. The 93-year-old ambassador immediatelyrecognized my voice and called out my name afterso many years， which really surprised and touchedme. However， it was a true pity that he deceased afew days after reading my English manuscript. Hisson， Professor Ken Menzies wrote a letter to me，\"Yan， please believe that my father departed theworld in gratification and satisfaction.

It seems that fate always has plans. It not onlyconnects me with Ambassador Arthur Menzies，but also enables me to realize my dream of goingabroad to follow Bethune's footprints.

Many Chinese people know that in the earlywinter of 1939， Bethune was lying on an earthenbed on Taihang Mounrain， leaving behind a longlist of dying words to his comrades in China andCanada. His will said that， \"The Japanese flagshall be left to Lillian\". However， the Chinese hadno idea of who this woman was back then. Afterseventy five years， I solved this mystery by chance.Just over a hundred kilometers from my residence，I interviewed an old man named Bill Smith， andcame to know that Lillian was just his mother. Theold man has not only the last letter that Bethunewrote to Lillian， in which Bethune invited Lil-lian to travel to Taihang Mountain to fight side byside wirh him， bur also preserved the only photoof Mao Zedong and Bethune in the world. This isamazing！ With great excitement， I wrote down ALetterfrorn the Remotest Corner of the World-Bet-hune's Last Love Note. Writing is also a process of understanding life.I saw Bethune as a brave man who could stand upto reality His courage， frankness， uprightness andloftiness are held dear in human nature. His ideal-ism and dedication， noble qualities of all humanbeings， is a lamp in darkness that guides me walktowards brightness no matter what adversiry I amfacing.

In the fall of 2015， on the occasion of the 70thanmversary of the Chinese People's commemora-tion of the victory of the war of resistance againstJapanese Aggression， I led representatives from allwalks of life in Canada to visit China again andfollow Berhune's foorprints to see Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei border area where the hero has once fought.An open and convenient environment allows meto share the heroic history of the motherland withmore people and spread the seeds of friendship inthe hearts of the Chinese and Canadian people.

In the golden hall of the Beijing Hotel， BillSmith donated the cultural relic that is precious tothe Chinese revolutionary history： a photo of MaoZedong and Bethune. \"If l get an opportunity， Iwould be more than willing to contribute my ownbit to China-Canada friendship. Though I am ourof shape now， I would be more than happy to be aguide if my Chinese friends come to visit Bethune'shometown in Canada to see where he grew up andworked.\" Bill Smith said in an interview to the me-dia.

Part Ⅲ

In 2007， the University of ～Vaterloo establishedthe Confucius Institute. I said yes when I was askedif I would like ro be the director. Over the pastdecade since the establishment， I have kept askingmyself： What is the purpose of spreading Chineseculture overseas？ I know deep down that humancivilizations each have its own merits， and there isno single culture better than others. We do not tendto replace the beliefs of others. Instead， we strive tolet the world understand China， know the Chinesepeople， eliminate misunderstandings and seek com-mon ground while reserving differences. Only inthis way can we win long-lasting friendship and theConfucius Institute achieves its missions.

To this end， we have been engaged in high-endacademic research and literary exchanges for tenyears， and organized ten international seminarsincluding \"Homeland， History， and Representa-tion\"， \"History in Literature， Literature in History\"，\"Our Quilts\"， \"Literature and Our Environment\"，

and \"Interculturaliry and a Community of SharedFuture for Mankind\". These seminars have allcontained eager anticipation of my colleagues andmine.

In the Confucius Institute， we have compiled andpublished bilingual books and research monographson Chinese culture， providing overseas studentswith simple and easy-to-understand materials toignite their interest in Chinese culture. We haveinvited Chinese and foreign experts and scholarsto hold lectures， pool wisdom and make sugges-tions on the common problems faced by mankind.At the same time， we have established a number of\"Confucius Institute Chinese Reference Rooms\"in different cities， and hold Chinese recitationcompetitions and essay competitions every yearto encourage overseas Chinese youths to write inChinese and promote the inheritance of Chineseculture. In terms of public construction， we con-tinue to cooperate with public libraries in threesurrounding cities to organize Chinese languagetraining classes， interest classes of Chinese cultureas well as traditional festival celebrations. In thecontext of multicultural and fair competition， weare seeking and creating opportunities to use anddevelop Chinese language overseas.

My work is full of happiness when I contributeto building bridges berween the motherland andworld cultures and enhancing friendship amongpeople all over the world. When looking back， Iseem to understand the sacred mission I shoul-dered when I went to a foreign country severaldecades ago.